November 17, 2008

Spangler’s Cornstarch Walk on Water Featured on Discovery’s Time Warp

Time Warp is one of Discovery's newest shows and it's definitely worth watching... even if you're not a science geek. Hosts Jeff Lieberman and Matt Kearney are on the prowl for anything and everything that might be cool to examine under high-speed photography. On the November 5, 2008 episode, Time Warp featured the Cornstarch Walk on Water stunt our team created for the Ellen Show back in February.

It's good to see that our mixing proportions of 2,500 pounds of cornstarch to about 200 gallons of water - all mixed in a cement truck - worked well for them, too. The best part of the segment was the slow motion photography showing just how the non-Newtonian cornstarch and water mixtures behaves under stress. The images are nothing short of amazing. (more...)

September 30, 2008

What Really Happens at the Ellen Show

If you're a fan of the Ellen Show, you know that the show recently moved to a new set on the Warner Bros Studio lot. The new studio is huge... great for exploding clouds of liquid nitrogen! Watch the video, but keep reading to learn what happens behind all of those clouds. I've mentioned this before, but it deserves a second mention. Ellen DeGeneres and the people who make up her staff are absolutely top-notch, first-class, amazing people who love their jobs. From the moment we arrived on the lot, there was someone ready to help us with anything we needed. And unlike a normal guest, I have a bunch of weird stuff to set-up backstage. The request list that I turned into the producers for this segment included rain coats, fire extinguishers, liquid nitrogen and a huge jar of pickles. With lots of stuff comes lots of set-up time backstage and probably more interaction with the Ellen Show crew than most guests get. Aside from having a great time, the big take away for me during this visit was the way the Ellen staff does … (more...)

September 24, 2008

Carnival of Education, #190

We are honored to periodically host the Carnival of Education. Hats off to our good friend Jane Goodwin for all of her work on the latest Carnival. - editor It's time to put on our thinking caps and experience the 190th Carnival of Education, right here at Steve Spangler's blog! All learning is scientific, you know.  The world is a giant laboratory, and every day, we are all, regardless of our ages, making discoveries never before known to mankind. Perhaps some of you will make some discoveries right here at the Carnival of Education! Remember now, we don't all necessarily have to agree on everything to appreciate it, or realize that it has a value. Let's begin with some Games for the Brain.  That will make us alert and ready for some educational action. Over at Three Standard Deviations to the Left, there is some discussion about low expectations.  Mr. IB lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that HIS expectations are high. (more...)

August 27, 2008

Carnival of Education Features SteveSpangler.com

Once again, the educators that help put together the Carnival of Education have included one of our blog posts in this week's edition of the Carnival.  Check it out and support our fellow bloggers and educators by reading some of the other great blogs over there!

August 14, 2008

Spangler Blog in Carnival of Education

Hey, folks, the new Carnival of Education is up and we're in it! Go check it out... you'll find all kinds of fantastic resources and information there.